dcrit.bsky.social

I look forward to these all year! Hooray for the mini stories!

A tweet from Pop Base reads: “A melting ice sculpture of the word ‘Democracy’ was placed in front of the U.S. Capitol.” Two photos show the sculpture before and after melting. In the first, the word “DEMOCRACY” is fully visible in clear ice with the Capitol building in the background. In the second, much of the sculpture has melted, leaving only fragments that spell “D_C_AY,” symbolizing the decay of democracy.

A powerful visual.

Been there, done that, don't need another T-shirt.

The far/hard right in the USA is demonstrating how thin a skin they have and that freedom of speech is only a one lane road. Long live cancel culture!

Several non-American comedians I follow and support have cancelled their US tour plans because of the current climate.

Nosferatu, my favorite vampire movie! Thank you.

Thanks to Laurie Jean Carter for a terrific Professional Photographers of America photography workshop last month at Fort Monroe, VA. | David Critics Thanks to Laurie Jean Carter for a terrific Professional Photographers of America photography workshop last month at Fort Monroe, VA. She exposed me to many new tools and techniques for capturing bir...

Had a great time learning new pointers for photographing birds thanks to a Professional Photographers of America workshop last month.

Please include interviews with VSOs from organizations such as DAV or VFW. These experts need to be better known by veterans and their families and friends for the expertise and support they provide.

And a very thin skinned tyrant at that.

Been to the Trump winery in Virginia; not a repeat customer. I prefer quality over empty promises any time.

Saw a robot waiter for the first time at Pinto Thai in Culpeper, Virginia!

Elon updated DOGE, claiming to have fixed the mistakes we all pointed out. But instead of correcting them, he just added more false claims. He even inflated his so-called “savings” total from $55 billion to $65 billion, when in reality, the actual increase is only from $2 billion to $2.3 billion.

The Defense Reformation Our nation is in an undeclared state of emergency, and must resurrect the American Industrial Base we depended on in the depths of the Cold War.

Today's Odd Lots podcast with @tracyalloway.bsky.social and @weisenthal.bsky.social digs into problems with DoD contracting with guest Shyam Sankar, Palantir CTO. Shyam has posted 18 theses for a Defense Reformation (www.18theses.com) that nails many issues I saw as a 40-year government employee.

Are you referring to Mr. Trump or Mr. Ford - or maybe both?

Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary names ‘enshittification’ word of the year Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary says term captures widespread sense that things are getting worse.

Australia’s oldest dictionary of Australian English has chosen “enshittification” – a slang term referring to the deterioration of products and services online – as the word of 2024.

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Chihuahuas are the flamingos of the dog world.

Visited President Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace and museum today in Staunton, Virginia. His Pierce Arrow limousine is one of the highlights.

Saw this Great Blue Heron on a prior walk at the Lake Anna State Park. It was surprising to see it in a tree rather than on the water.

Went walking the Turkey Run Trail at Lake Anna State Park this morning. Lake Anna was created in the 1960’s by damming a section of the North Anna River to create a body of water to cool a future nuclear power plant. Hundreds of families and farms were displaced, but now 1000’s live along the lake.

For the millions of newbies:

BlueSky does not have an algorithm.

Like means: "I like it."

Reskeet/repost/whatever: "I like it and I want others to see it."

Likes do not help visibility, only a reskeet does that, sharing to your followers, who can make their own choices.

You are the algorithm.

World War I and II memorial in Kristiansund, Norway with a naval mine on top.

Haven’t seen any more geo markers for a while at our stops in Norway, but this World War I and II Memorial in Kristiansund with a mine on top is different from what I usually see.

At Hammerfest we saw the meridian point that is the northernmost marker for a joint Norwegian-Swedish-Russian geo survey in the late 1800’s. The southern point is at the Black Sea. Hammerfest claims to be the world’s northernmost town, and with the cold wind whipping and clouds we are not arguing.

The stone and plaque marking the north-south mid-point of Norway in Broonoysund.

At our stop in Bronnoysund I was pleased to find a marker for the mid-point on Norway. I am quickly gaining a new appreciation for how long the coast is here!

Just sailed past a marker for the Arctic Circle in Norway (the small object on the left side of the island) and wondered if the workers installing it debated whether they should be quick to get out of the weather or if they should take time to do it right so they didn’t have to come back later.

CAREER TIP: If you work hard & don't ever give up, you may be able to sustain your delusion of proximate success long past the time you could possibly repair your mistake and redirect your ambitions.